Student Wellbeing

The school counselling service operates across all primary and secondary schools within the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. School Counsellors have qualifications in psychology, social work or counselling and are registered with their professional associations. 

School counsellors have expertise in mental health, child and adolescent development, and education and learning. They provide consultation, assessment, and intervention to assist schools including: 

• mental health assessments and interventions 

• assessments to identify learning and behavioural difficulties and provide recommendations to support student need  

• support school-based wellbeing and support plans to address acute distress, risk of harm, school refusal, and behavioural challenges 

• link families and carers with external agencies in their area to address health, social, or wellbeing needs when additional support is identified. 

The role of the school counsellor is to support students’ wellbeing, learning, behaviour, and participation at school. School counsellors work within a multi-tiered system of support and can deliver individual and group interventions as well as delivering mental health literacy education and prevention programs for whole school communities. 

School counsellors have clear professional and ethical guidelines and are committed to providing a professional, confidential and evidence-based service to schools with the wellbeing of the child at the heart of the service. 

School counsellors are guided and supported by the Leader School Counselling and Senior School Counsellors who are based at the Catholic Schools’ Office, and who also provide support and consultation to all school executive and wellbeing staff on matters relating to student mental health and critical incidents. 

Some of the wellbeing initiatives that are being utilised in our Catholic schools include:

• Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Policy
• Student Wellbeing Framework, Wellbeing Together – Student wellbeing and learning across the whole school
• Positive Behaviour for Learning – a framework that ensures a consistent school-wide positive approach to behaviour support
• Social and Emotional Learning – programs and practices that assist students to develop self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making and social awareness
• Youth Mental Health First Aid – Professional learning for staff
• Australian Student Wellbeing Framework – a framework and resources for schools which promotes a whole-school approach to fostering student wellbeing
• Be You – a framework and resources for schools that encourages positive mental health and wellbeing
• Wellbeing Week – where fun, health promotion activities are planned for students and staff
• Healthy Children Initiative (HCI)

Health, wellbeing and relationships are taught in primary and secondary schools in the diocese as part of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) programs from Kindergarten to Year 12. The PDHPE syllabus provides a strengths-based approach to develop knowledge and skills so that students enhance their own health, safety and wellbeing. This program incorporates drug education, safety, mental health and wellbeing, sexuality and sexual health, as well as food and nutrition and physical activity.

Each school in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese has access to a school counsellor. School Counsellors have qualifications in psychology, social work or counselling and are registered with their professional associations.

School counsellors have expertise in:

• child and adolescent development including mental health assessments and interventions;
• learning and cognitive assessment and interventions;
• knowledge and skills in behavioural assessments and interventions.

School counsellors work within a multi-tiered system of support and can deliver individual and group interventions as well as delivering mental health literacy education and prevention programs for whole school communities. School counsellors have clear professional and ethical guidelines and are committed to providing confidential and evidence-based service to schools with the wellbeing of the child at the heart of the service.

The school counselling team is supported by a Senior Counsellor and a Coordinator based at the CSO, who also provide support and consultation to all school executive and wellbeing staff on matters relating to student mental health and critical incidents.